Basketball player is first UT athlete to test positive for coronavirus

File photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey / Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes added to a promising roster for 2020-21 with a signing class made up of three players rated among the top 70 college prospects in the nation.
File photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey / Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes added to a promising roster for 2020-21 with a signing class made up of three players rated among the top 70 college prospects in the nation.

The Tennessee Volunteers have their first positive test for COVID-19.

Tennessee announced that a member of its men's basketball team, who was not identified, tested positive after several members of both the men's and women's basketball teams were tested. Players from both teams started returning to campus Monday.

The Vols are coached by Rick Barnes, who will turn 66 in July.

Tennessee's sports medicine staff put the player in isolation and started contact tracing protocol with the Knox County Health Department. Tennessee sports information director Tom Satkowiak said school officials are encouraged to see that their procedures work.

Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt said Thursday that none of his returning players had tested positive, though a graduate assistant did test positive and went into self-isolation.

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